Bowl Games 2014-15: TV Schedule and Predictions for Top Matchups
The 2014-15 bowl game schedule was revealed on Sunday, and there are a number of matchups to look forward to even outside of the elite, inaugural College Football Playoff.
Although all but four teams will be disappointed not to be in the running for the national title, there is still plenty of postseason action for them to get in on. Those who were just on the fringe, such as Big 12 co-champions Baylor and TCU, will get a chance to prove themselves against quality opponents.
The focus will inevitably fall on the new playoffs, which feature the four top-ranked teams battling each other on New Year's Day.
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Since both games are bound to be epic, it's worth taking a closer look at them, along with the best non-playoff game on tap.
Note: Statistics courtesy of NCAA.com.
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | 11 a.m. | ESPN |
| Gildan New Mexico Bowl | UTEP vs. Utah State | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN |
| Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl | Colorado State vs. No. 22 Utah | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Air Force | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Raycom Media Camellia Bowl | South Alabama vs. Bowling Green | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Miami Beach Bowl | BYU vs. Memphis | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Marshall vs. Northern Illinois | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl | San Diego State vs. Navy | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | Noon | ESPN |
| Hawai'i Bowl | Rice vs. Fresno State | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Rutgers vs. North Carolina | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl | NC State vs. UCF | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Military Bowl presented By Northrop Grumman | Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl | Duke vs. No. 15 Arizona State | 2 p.m. | CBS |
| Duck Commander Independence Bowl | Miami (Florida) vs. South Carolina | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Boston College vs. Penn State | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| National University Holiday Bowl | Nebraska vs. No. 24 USC | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | West Virginia vs. Texas A&M | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | No. 17 Clemson vs. Oklahoma | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl | Texas vs. Arkansas | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Notre Dame vs. No. 23 LSU | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Belk Bowl | No. 21 Louisville vs. No. 13 Georgia | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Foster Farms Bowl | Maryland vs. Stanford | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | No. 6 TCU vs. No. 9 Ole Miss | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| VIZIO Fiesta Bowl | No. 10 Arizona vs. No. 20 Boise State | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Capital One Orange Bowl | No. 7 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Outback Bowl | No. 18 Wisconsin vs. No. 19 Auburn | Noon | ESPN |
| Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic | No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 8 Michigan State | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | No. 25 Minnesota vs. No. 16 Missouri | 1 p.m. | ABC |
| Rose Bowl | No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sugar Bowl | No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Houston | Noon | ESPN |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | Iowa vs. Tennessee | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | No. 11 Kansas State vs. No. 14 UCLA | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| TicketCity Cactus Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Washington | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Birmingham Bowl | Florida vs. East Carolina | 1 p.m. | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| GoDaddy Bowl | Toledo vs. Arkansas State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| National Championship Bowl | TBD vs. TBD | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Predictions For Top Bowl Matchups
Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State
The head coaching matchup of Alabama's Nick Saban and his Ohio State counterpart Urban Meyer alone makes this a massive draw.
Various pitfalls have prevented the Buckeyes from rising as prominently into the national championship picture. That they were able to overcome the loss of two potential Heisman quarterbacks to win the Big Ten in such dominant fashion is a testament to the program Meyer has built in Columbus.
Even Meyer is a bit surprised the Buckeyes are in this position, via ESPN.com's Austin Ward:
"We're a young program, a team where if you had told me this in August, I would have said not yet. Maybe next year, but not this year because we're just so young.
[...] When Braxton was the quarterback, I still didn't know. Four new offensive linemen. Brand new tailback. Issues on defense. I didn't know. I liked the young players, I thought once they grew up it was going to be [good]...They just grew up rather quickly. When did that start? I started seeing it but I didn't believe it completely until the experience we had on Saturday night.
"
While the Crimson Tide rightly carry clout with their record of success, physical, run-heavy style of offense and tenacious defense, Ohio State has many of those same attributes with its current team.
Ezekiel Elliott is a bruising ball-carrier who can thrive even against Alabama's stout front seven. Wisconsin was supposed to be a formidable opponent, yet Elliott compiled 222 yards rushing and two scores on just 20 carries in the Bucks' 59-0 victory.
Tony Gerdeman of The-Ozone.net noted how Elliott was able to find some space, which could be a sound strategy versus the Tide, too:
"It's amazing to watch how a defense reacts to Jalin Marshall in the backfield. Opens so much for Ezekiel Elliott in the running game.
— Tony Gerdeman (@GerdOZone) December 7, 2014"
But the body of work Alabama has put together in the SEC this year can't be ignored, as it is in the best conference in the country.
Blake Sims is a fifth-year senior who finally got his shot and made the most of it with great decision-making and more explosive playmaking ability than the Tide have enjoyed in years at the position.
Sims seems to be the safer bet to handle the spotlight than Cardale Jones—despite the latter's magnificent debut in the conference title game. Since Alabama has film on Jones and ample time to prepare, it will likely force him into a critical mistake that Sims won't make.
A No. 1 receiver battle for the ages between Ohio State's Devin Smith and Alabama's Amari Cooper will also unfold, but the Tide have the edge there as well. In a close contest that should feature plenty of ground-and-pound football, Alabama will pull off a tight win.
Prediction: Alabama 24, Ohio State 20
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State
The head coaches, running backs and top wideouts headline the Sugar Bowl, but in Pasadena, it's all about the most important position on the field.
Oregon's Marcus Mariota is the front-runner to take the Heisman away from previous winner and Rose Bowl counterpart Jameis Winston. Whether Mariota can rise to the occasion and lead the Ducks one game away from taking the national championship from the Seminoles remains to be seen.
Where the Ducks star stands out is his lack of giveaways, something Winston has been susceptible to. ESPN Stats & Info highlights Mariota's mind-boggling production:
As opposed to the Sugar Bowl, this matchup will be a complete clash of styles. Mariota and Oregon will be pushing the tempo as much as possible. For a Florida State defense that struggles against the run, that's bad news.
But Winston managed to light up Georgia Tech for 309 yards passing and three TDs in guiding FSU to the ACC title. That was with just 25:05 of offensive possession, too, and it showed again that Winston can overcome adversity and execute an intricate, pro-style offense.
This one could come down to which dynamic signal-caller gets the ball last, but the Ducks present the matchup problems and tools to make Florida State's seemingly endless luck run thin. Between DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead on the defensive front, the personnel is there for Oregon to do enough to slow Dalvin Cook out of the Seminoles backfield.
Combine that with Mariota's ball security and superior athleticism to Winston's, and the Ducks should find themselves meeting Alabama for all the marbles on January 12.
Prediction: Oregon 41, Florida State 30
Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 8 Michigan State
Either the Bears are going to have a demoralized hangover from being the last team out of the College Football Playoff, or they will take out that frustration on the Spartans in the Cotton Bowl.
Based on the poise Baylor star Bryce Petty exuded on Twitter after the disappointing news from Sunday, yours truly is more inclined to believe the former scenario is most probable:
As much fanfare as the Oregon-FSU matchup will get for its QBs, NFL.com's Gil Brandt is looking forward to the field generals that will occupy the gridiron in Arlington:
"The Cotton Bowl scored a home run with a great Baylor-Michigan State matchup. Game features 2 good QBs: Bryce Petty and Connor Cook.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) December 7, 2014"
Sparty's defense has been reputable under coach Mark Dantonio, yet it was lit up for 49 points by the Buckeyes in a season-defining game. That was the last time Michigan State faced a truly explosive, spread-based opponent.
Baylor is lethal with the veteran Petty at the controls, with three receivers who have at least 50 receptions and four who have at least six touchdown grabs. Such an array of weapons is enough to keep any adversary on its heels.
It will take an exceptional effort from the Spartans' offensive leaders, QB Connor Cook and senior running back Jeremy Langford, to keep Michigan State in this one. The balance Cook and Langford present will keep their side executing at a top-10 national level on third down, helping to keep the score close.
However, there won't be quite enough speed on Michigan State's defense or personnel in the secondary to account for the Bears' myriad of playmakers.
Once the fourth quarter hits, the tempo Baylor plays with, the toll RB Shock Linwood will exact on Sparty and the Bears' exceptional skill players will be the difference.
Prediction: Baylor 35, Michigan State 23
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
